I am shooting with a 3 inch barrel auto pistol some rounds of .32 acp on a wooden table and I am getting a penetration of only 1.2 inches (shooting from 10 yards).

I think it is a very little penetration for self defense purposes, so maybe there is something wrong with the powder load (Vectan BA9, 2.4 grains) or the barrel or something, or maybe it is absolutely normal and I sholudn´t be worrying about it.

How deep is the penetration of a .32 acp in a wooden board in some of you use this caliber?, -I have read in some web pages that 4 to 6 inches!-, is is true?

It will depend how hard the wood is? Unfortunately, I don't have any data on the Vectan BA9 powder, but I know from experimenting with snubnose revolvers, you need a very fast powder to burn consistently in the short barrel. 2.2 grains (0.143 gm) of Vihtavuori N310 is given as a maximum by Vihtavuori Oy, and will reach almost 1000 ft/s (300 m/s). I would expect that to penetrate 5 or 6 one-inch white pine boards if the bullet has a full-metal jacket? An expanding bullet will penetrate less.

2.5 grains (0.162 gm) of Norma R1 or of Rottweil P805 should do the same thing. 2.4 grains (0.156 gm) of ADI AS 30, will also. 2.3 grains (0.149 gm) of PB Clermont PCL 514 may do alright. This last powder is not quite as fast, but should produce about the same ballistics.

You are right to be concerned about penetration with smaller bullets. You might want to set up something softer, like wet newspaper, to get a closer comparison? Good luck!

The book Stopping Power and it's later editions have some great info on the .32. After reading their research I feel a bit better about carrying that round and will probably carry a FMJ which is something I almost never consider doing.

Your load will penetrate enough in flesh to get the job done. Don't pay too much attention to the folks here that have a fanatical obsession with penetration. The .32 ACP has been killing people for over 100 years.

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